At about 12:40 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, the Coroner’s Office was dispatched to the Flat Tops area of the White River National Forest approximately 19 miles north of Silt, on Forest Service Road 211 for a report of a dead male found in the woods.

Sheriff and coroner investigators learned that a hunter in the area found Gooderham and reported the death to authorities. Investigators determined that Gooderham was operating his ATV and had crashed it into a tree in a wooded area. As a result, he was ejected from his ATV. Gooderham was hunting and camping alone in the area, and there are no known witnesses to the crash. Investigators believe the crash may have occurred between the evenings of Sept. 12 and Sept. 14.

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On Monday, the Coroner’s Office contract forensic pathologist performed an autopsy on Gooderham. The Coroner’s Office is investigating the cause of death as blunt force injuries and the manner of death as an accident. Gooderham was not wearing a helmet, but there were no significant head injuries that contributed to the cause of death.

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